North Korea says it has no intention of using nuclear weapons against any country “except the U.S.”

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MANILA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) — The foreign minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Ri Hong-Yo, said on Monday that his country has no intention to use nuclear weapons against any other country except the United States.

Ri, in Manila to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), said DPRK “is a responsible nuclear power and ICBM state,” referring to the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.

“We have no intention to use nuclear weapons or threaten with nuclear weapons against any other country except the U.S., unless it joins action of the U.S. against DPRK,” Ri said in a statement to the ARF.

Ri lambasted the U.S. for “trying to internationalize the issue of Korean Peninsula by abusing the United Nations” by claiming that DPRK’s possession of nuclear weapons is a “global threat.”

He also said that the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula was created and developed into the present phase today by the United States.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, left, is greeted by his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi prior to their bilateral meeting in the sidelines of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and its Dialogue Partners Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017 in suburban Pasay city, south Manila, Philippines. Bolstered by new U.N. sanctions, the United States and North Korea’s neighbors are joining in a fresh attempt to isolate Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs, in a global campaign cheered on by U.S. President Donald Trump.